I want to purchase a boat this winter for use next duck season as well as being able to use it for fishing and bow fishing during the summer. Any lakes I plan to hunt with it will be relatively small and waves won't be a big issue. Can anyone recommend a good boat?

Personally I think airboats are the best all around...unless you only hunt areas that don't allow them. I'm not sure where you live so I can't help much with that.

They are great for fishing, hunting, or just riding around. You don't have to run a generator for lights, and at low RPM's they can be very quiet. People say they spook fish, and it's safe to assume they have never fished from one.

They've come a long way over the past few years. The sticker price is a bit high, but you get what you pay for.

Let us know what part of the country you'll be in, and better suggestions will follow.

I just bought a Excel 1751 F4 with a 50 hp Yamaha. I could not be happier. I duck hunt timber in Arkansas and Mississippi. I catch catfish in the Mississippi River, pan fish the Oxbow lakes. I have it down in Tampa Bay right now as work brings me this way. I have been catching crab and fishing in the bay with no problems. I agree with the other posts....get the next size up in length of the boat your looking at and don't go small on the motor.

I have a older excel 1554 with a nissan 40hp and love it. Just whatever you get get a quality all welded boat. Don't waste your money on a riveted hull you will end wanting and getting a welded one in the end. It's money well spent ahead to get a good all welded boat. If you don't really abuse the hull running it into stumps, trees, shore, and big waves one of regular welded hulls like a g3, tracker grizzly, or lowe roughneck will be fine. There are ton of other companies go with whoever makes a hull in the size and layout you want. If you plan on abusing it more so and are rough on a boat go with one of the mudmotor manufacturer boats that are made with a .125" thick hull they are much tougher than the typical welded hulls from big manufacturers that use .100" thick hulls. Phowler, excel, prodrive, gatortail, beavertail, gatortrax and I'm sure there are some I'm leaving off they all make good boats. Don't know if anyone on here has any experience with them but I was looking last night at boats and came across alumaweld boats. A lot of their boats are made with a .160" bottom seems like that would make for a tough boat. They are meant to be more of a fishing boat, but they look really nice and could make good hunting boats. Their free drift model or sport skiff looked like it would make a great hunting boat if it could be had in olive drab or brown. lot of their boats are meant for big tillers and have open floors. I'd like to see one in person I guess they are bigger in the northwest guys run them with jet drives.

Red neck engineering- If ya can't fix it with duck tape, bailing wire, zip ties, and JB weld well than it can't be fixed.

If it moves and it aint suppose to duck tape it. If doesn't move and its suppose to put WD-40 on it.

Got an alumacraft. got a war eagle. But my favorite is the Excel. Couldn't be happier. it puts my other boats to shame. I Agree with others, get a welded .125. Fully welded sealed floor is sweet so much gunk and depris gets stuck under the floors that are not fully closed off. If u get something riveted u are gonna replace it in 5-10 years. If u get welded boat it will outlive you

Rich- wrote:I want to purchase a boat this winter for use next duck season as well as being able to use it for fishing and bow fishing during the summer. Any lakes I plan to hunt with it will be relatively small and waves won't be a big issue. Can anyone recommend a good boat?

Depends on the topography of the lake bottom. Very shallow, you'll want a mud motor, jet outboard, or airboat. Deeper than a few feet, probably a mod-V type hull with an regular outboard.SeaArk is top of the line, Xpress, War Eagle, Excel are right behind. But since you said you plan on hunting smaller waters, you could probably get away with something built less tank-like. Size of the load being carried should also be considered...more than 3 guys, you'll want 18ft+, 15-16ft with 2-3 guys with a lighter load would work, smaller than that you'll be limited to probably 2 people.

UmatillaJeff wrote:By his very nature this tends to be a modest man who is loved by woman, children and dogs and well though of in all social circles.We will call him the 10ga man